The Kitchen Workhorses I Use Often
Our kitchen is small, with limited space, which means if something earns a spot in a drawer or stays out on the counter, it has to work for it. No freeloaders allowed. Between work, school, sports schedules, and the never-ending “what’s for dinner” loop, I don’t have time or patience for tools that look cute but don’t actually make life easier.
These are the kitchen MVPs I use constantly. Like… multiple times a day sometimes. They’ve earned their keep, and I recommend them to friends and family all the time because they make real-life cooking less exhausting and more doable.
Here are the ones that made the cut.
Fullstar The Original Pro Chopper
I use this almost daily, sometimes several times a day. And yes, I can already hear professional chefs everywhere whispering “knife skills” like a judgmental little chant. But listen. They can keep their skills. I’ll keep my sanity.
This thing gives me perfectly chopped or diced veggies in literal seconds and saves me time every single night. It’s the kind of gadget you swear you don’t need until you own it… and then suddenly you’re chopping onions in record time and wondering how you ever lived without it.
When I first brought home an air fryer, Jason looked at me like I had personally offended him by adding yet another appliance to our very limited counter space. But joke’s on him because this thing has proven itself over and over again.
Everyone uses it.
ALL. THE. TIME.
It reheats pizza like a dream, makes chicken breasts perfectly crisp for salads, and lets me cook quick lunch or dinner add-ons without dirtying a single pan. It has fully earned its permanent spot on the counter.
Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker
A friend recommended this, and I haven’t stopped singing its praises since. It’s about 98% foolproof and gives you the perfect cook every single time. The only requirement: patience.
One of our absolute favorite family meals is corned beef made with the sous vide. It comes out perfect every time and tastes like it took hours of skill when really… the machine did the heavy lifting.
This thing is HANDY. We use it constantly for homemade sauces and dressings, including Garrett’s current obsession, our homemade Bang Bang Sauce.
And now that it’s soup season, this is my go-to for blending hot soups without risking a blender explosion that stains your ceiling and destroys your will to live. If you know, you know. If you don’t… please don’t try it.
Simple? Yes.
Life-changing? Also yes.
Could a spoon work? Sure.
Do I want to stand there forever breaking up meat into tiny pieces like I’m chiseling a sculpture? Absolutely not.
This thing gets the job done in seconds, so I can move on with the recipe and eventually sit down like a person who didn’t just spend 40 minutes cooking dinner that will be eaten in 7.
This one might be the biggest sanity-saver of the year. My boys love taking dinner leftovers for school lunch, which means reheating everything in the morning and somehow getting it all neatly into their food thermos.
Did it ever go neatly?
No.
Absolutely not.
Enter: the canning funnel. It sits on top of the thermos and guides everything in perfectly. NO spills. No mess. No teenage commentary about “there’s stuff on the outside.” I cannot emphasize enough how helpful this has been. I only wish I had discovered it sooner.
Between work, kids, and trying to remember if I actually switched the laundry or not, kitchen tools need to be quick, reliable, and worth the space. These are the ones that made the cut in our home.
What’s one kitchen thing you can’t live without? I’m always looking for the next MVP to add to the rotation.
